He said the fact she swore as she picked up the phone immediately before the accident was "highly suggestive" that the act of answering the phone "caused her to take her eye off the road momentarily but sufficiently long for her to run onto the verge".

"Sadly, Sarah's death is a case study in the dangers of distractions for drivers," Coroner Dillon said.

"A motor vehicle can be transformed into a deadly weapon in a moment by inattention or distraction."

Coroner Dillon said police had given evidence of frequent accidents on the Wakehurst Parkway but he had no evidence to suggest the road was unusually dangerous.

However, he recommended a safety audit of the parkway if one had not been conducted recently.

The coroner noted that the Greek playwright Euripides once wrote: "What greater pain can mortals bear than this – to see their children die before their eyes."

He said that had been Durazza's mother's terrible experience on the parkway when she saw her daughter's body.

The entire family and Durazza's partner remained grief-stricken, he said.

"I hope that the Durazza family, but especially Mr and Mrs Durazza and Mr Bidder, will accept my sincere and very respectful condolences on the loss of this beautiful young woman whom they loved so much."